By William Duncan

0

16 Mar 2013 14:00:00

Both sides come into this match struggling for form and Willie Duncan is backing Martin O'Neill's Black Cats to settle for a share of the spoils against Chris Hughton's Canaries

Just three points separate Sunderland and Norwich City in the English Premier League table and, with both sides in danger of being drawn into a relegation dogfight, it promises to be a keenly fought contest when they meet at Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon.

The Black Cats come into this match without a win in their last six matches but are chalked up as 11/10 (2.10) favourites with BetVictor to get back to winning ways by claiming all three points when they face Norwich this weekend.

The Canaries have drawn four of their last six games but Chris Hughton will be keen to see his side convert those draws into victories.

Norwich are rated as an 11/4 (3.75) chance with BetVictor to win on Sunday while the same firm go 12/5 (3.40) that the match ends in stalemate.

It is worth noting, though, that Chris Hughton’s side have managed just three goals in their last nine matches in all competitions while Martin O’Neill’s men have scored just 16 home goals in 14 Premier League matches so far this season so a tight encounter seems likely here.

With that in mind, the 4/5 (1.80) on offer from BetVictor for this match to feature fewer than three goals certainly carries appeal here while the 20/21 (1.95) quote from the same firm that both sides fail to hit the target is also decent value.

Punters may well be tempted by the juicy 19/10 (2.90) offered up by BetVictor that the first half remains goalless while the same firm go 21/20 (2.05) that the opening goal of what promises to be a tense contest comes after the 27th minute – a price which looks to represent outstanding value given that both sides have been struggling for form in front of goal this term.

These sides appear to be evenly matched and they could be tough to separate this weekend so the 21/20 (2.05) quote on offer from BetVictor that the opening goal of the game comes after the 27th minute should be snapped up here while punters could be rewarded for backing the draw at a generous 12/5 (3.40) with BetVictor.

Willie Duncan is a freelance sports journalist. Willie, from Edinburgh, has covered Scottish football for over 10 years and he specialises in football betting markets from across Europe. You can also follow Willie on Twitter